Media reports today discussed developments in the ongoing tension between UEFA (the Union of European Football Associations) and FIFA (the International Federation of Association Football), amid controversy surrounding FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
UEFA, led by its president Aleksander Čeferin, attacked Infantino after he proposed selling part of FIFA's shares to external investors to oversee the organization of World Cup tournaments.
This decision prompted UEFA and its 55 member associations to decide on boycotting FIFA tournaments, before Infantino eventually retracted his proposal.
There are numerous calls for Infantino to resign from his position or for the Swiss official not to run in the upcoming FIFA presidential elections scheduled for March next year.
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However, the newspaper "Sport," citing "The Times," confirmed that UEFA is now prepared to retract its decision to boycott FIFA tournaments following approval of UEFA's proposals.
UEFA demanded that FIFA abandon the "FFE" project, which involved selling 20% of FIFA's shares in tournament broadcasting rights to external investors, alongside obtaining formal guarantees that no similar proposal would be presented in the future.
The source added that FIFA has already provided these guarantees to UEFA, leading to the retraction of the tournament boycott decision.
Consequently, UEFA member countries will participate normally in FIFA tournaments, starting with participation in the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Poland, which begins on September 5th.
The source clarified that UEFA will officially announce the retraction of its decision to boycott FIFA tournaments during the upcoming Executive Committee meeting in Monaco, France.
Furthermore, it was noted that UEFA's retraction of the boycott decision does not mean relations with Infantino have normalized, as Čeferin continues to demand the Swiss official's resignation, and UEFA's opposition to him remains intact.
Several days ago, Čeferin stated that Infantino faces two options: either resign from his position or compete in next year's FIFA presidential election against another candidate (details here).
